An illogical network of roads densely populated with speed demon bus drivers, VIP convoys, and suicidal pedestrians make it easy to see the need for another means of transport through Metro Manila.

Because of this, cycling has become a sexier alternative, padded with the popping up of cheap surplus bike shops around the Metro. While the costs of bike restoration and unpredictable weather (ranging from hot and humid to torrential rain) make cycling a tenuous option for the novice biker, the savings on fare and fuel may eventually bring commuters to the greener side.

Enter Bambike (or Bamb EcoLogical Technology Inc.), a company that is making bikes even greener by bringing their carbon footprint from low to practically nonexistent.

By handcrafting bamboo bicycles with fair-trade labor in the Philippines, Bambike is helping out people and the planet by making “the most sustainable bikes in the world” using bamboo heat-treated in solar-powered boxes and abaca, an almost unbreakable grass that is endemic to the Philippines. Heading the enterprise is Filipino-American Bryan Benitez McClelland, the company’s CEO and President.

McClelland, who received his Masters in Environmental Resource Management at the University of Pennsylvania, first got the idea for Bambike after a friend sent him an article about bamboo bikes being made in Africa. At the time, he had already been working alongside Gawad Kalinga, or GK, a non-profit organization whose name translates as “to give care” in the form of community-based house building, tied in with health centers, and education programs. For his thesis, McClelland came up with Green Kalinga, GK’s environmental arm which has Bambike as one of its main projects. “We are also working on a bamboo nursery for reforestation and have plans for a reef rehabilitation project,” says McClelland.

Bambike not only explores the use of biodegradable materials that are grown rather than mined (and bamboo grows really, really fast), but is developing a better way of doing business where it matters most. This is evident in the GK community in Victoria, Tarlac, where Bambike is changing the lives of their BamBuilders not only through the art of building bike frames, but by offering them Health Care as well as participation in the country’s Social Security System.

The Bambike frame, secured with Abaca fiber

Within two years, Bambike has come up with designs for mountain bikes, beach cruisers, city cruisers, and fixies in medium and large sizes, taking customized orders along the way. They even ship internationally, contributing to a growing global bike culture and helping to build a “New Green Economy” by bringing high quality handmade Philippine products to the global marketplace. This fulfills Bambike’s triple bottom line of benefiting the people, the planet, and creating profit for their stakeholders as well as their bike builders.

By striking this balance, Bambike doesn’t even have to promise to make you better looking with the unnecessary reminder that biking is damn good exercise.

Gawad Kalinga's Bambuilders serve as bike builders for Bambike

Interested to drive your own bamboo bike? Email Bambike at bamb.bike@gmail.com.

I’ve made it no secret that I have a love of cycling. Though I don’t write about it as often, I have a decent eye for fashion. Maybe I don’t write about it because mine is more utilitarian than trying to express myself through clothes, but one aspect of fashion that always bummed me out was cycling fashion.Not in the sense that I don’t like cycling fashion. It’s actually the opposite. I wish I could wear my cycling gear more often, but lycra bibshorts and a skin-tight jersey aren’t appropriate in mostly places aside from the open road. You can only take about 10 steps in clip-in road shoes before you fall flat on your face. But there are a number of companies popping up who are making cycling-specific clothing that you can wear even out of the saddle.

Mission Workshop rose to prominence because of its hand-made, top-of-the-line messenger bags and backpacks. I’m a proud owner of the Vandal backpack, and I don’t know what I would do without it. It’s weather-proof, attractive and, with its 15 gallon capacity, can comfortably fit a pony keg. Mission then launched a couple of jackets, one waterproof and one odor-proof made from Merino wool, a favorite fabric of cycling companies.

But then it changed the game with its new SPD-compatible shoes.

For the uninitiated, there are two main ways to secure your feet to your pedals for the most efficiency when cycling: clipless pedals, and straps. Straps are most often used by urbanites who are only on their bike for a few blocks and don’t want to change shoes. They literally strap the pedals to your feet, which can be dangerous if you need to stop and jump off your bike quickly. Clipless pedals are a bit of an oxymoron, because you clip into the pedal, but twisting your ankle will release the shoe from the pedal. But the shoes that go with them are cleated and usually have carbon fiber soles for extra stiffness, so not very friendly for walking.

But Mission’s new shoes look like converse sneakers, and have clip-in technology so you don’t have to use straps for short jaunts. I think many more companies will be following suit.

Rapha is a clothing company that is known for its performance gear. It’s usually for cyclists who are out for hours on the open road and enjoy Lycra shorts. But for some reason, and despite their high costs, Rapha has also been a favorite among hipsters in the city. Now that they have released their first cycling-specific pair of jeans, I think Rapha is going to be the go-to clothing company for anyone you might see on a colorful fixed-gear bike.

Though it took me until it was released on DVD to check it out, I finally got around to seeing The Hurt Locker — a day before it was nominated for Best Picture for this year’s Academy Awards.I had read on blogs after it was released in theaters that it was a great film. I read reviews from critics I trust like Roger Ebert, who raved about it. Then after Avatar came out, it seemed like everyone started talking again on blogs and in Tweets about The Hurt Locker and how the two would likely be going head-to-head with Avatar in a David vs. Goliath-like battle. They were right.

The Hurt Locker is a beautiful piece of film. I’m a big fan of the war film genre because it’s so hard to get right. But when it’s done right, it is done right. I don’t really want to get too deep into the glorifying war vs. anti-war film debate, but The Hurt Locker is simultaneously a great commentary on the current wars we are fighting and a flat-out great action movie. The suspense in the film is palpable. I don’t think I have been as physically involved and on the edge of my seat during a film since Paul Greengrass’ United 93. Director Kathryn Bigelow does a great job of letting you feel the suspense that these soldiers must be going through every time they leave the wire. Nevermind the fact that they are defusing a bomb and never know when it might go off, but you also never know when a sniper is going to fire on you, or someone is going to pop around out of an alley an point an AK-47 in your face.

I’m not a member of the Academy, but it has my vote.

For the past year I’ve been waiting for the release of Empire after seeing its initial teaser. It’s a film about having fun on fixed-gear bicycles by a group of friends in New York City. There are a bunch of films out there on the internet generally about the same thing, but the guys at Empire have done a great job teasing the film by running a blog about it is and releasing these short trailers. I’ve found that for me, nothing really gets me more motivated to get out and ride than watching cycling videos, especially during the winter months. I can’t wait for the full-length version to be released.